Schiavo dies 13 days after removal of feeding tube

This is not original reporting. All information has been compiled from The Washington Post article "Terri Schiavo, 41, Dies at Fla. Hospice" and the National Public Radio article "Terri Schiavo Dies After Long Legal Battle." Silver Chips Online posts these news summaries to provide readers with a forum for discussion.

The brain-damaged Terri Schiavo died at the age of 41 today, Thursday, March 31 at a Florida hospice, 13 days after the court ordered the removal of her feeding tube. Schiavo's death ends the legal battle amid her husband, Michael Schiavo, and her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler.

Schiavo died at 9:05 a.m. this morning beside her husband, before the public announcement of her death shortly before 10 a.m. National dialogue concerning end-of-life issues and the right to die is still raging, however, as prominent religious and political figures continue to issue statements regarding the Schiavo case. For instance, this morning in Washington, President George Bush issued a formal statement at a press conference, stating that her death has saddened the entire nation. "I urge all those who honor Terri Schiavo to continue to work to build a culture of life," said Bush, "where all Americans are welcomed and valued and protected, especially those who live at the mercy of others."

In Florida, Governor Jeb Bush, who fought to repeal the court order to remove Schiavo's feeding tube, concurred with his brother, stating that Schiavo's death is "heartbreaking. I wish I could have done more," said Bush, "[but] in the end, there were limitations on what we could do." The Vatican has also released statements throughout the controversy regarding Schiavo's condition.

Despite the heated political and emotional pleas to keep Schiavo alive, Michael Schiavo's attorney, George Felos, expressed that Michael only wanted his wife to die with dignity and grace rather than to be kept alive though artificial means. Michael has also opted for his wife to receive an autopsy in an attempt to demonstrate that his wife's death was imminent and that she would have remained in a permanent, vegetative state if kept alive. According to Felos, the legal battle over Schiavo's life has been a "call to everyone to make their wishes known in an appropriate way."

Despite these arguments, the Schindlers fought Michael up to their daughter's death this morning. According to the Schindlers, Schiavo expressed that she still wanted to live and had allegedly tried to say "I want to live" after the removal of her feeding tube in what has been called the last attempt to refute the diagnoses that Schiavo had lost all brain functions.

The Schindlers' plea for the Supreme Court to intervene last night marks the fifth time that the Supreme Court has opted not to step in. Last night, the 11th Circuit Court also declined to intervene on behalf of the Schindlers.

Upon refusing to grant an appeal to the Schindlers, Judge Stanly Birch Jr. of the 11th Circuit Court released a statement accompanying the decision expressing his disapproval of Congress and of the executive branch's interventions in the case. He noted that the law hurriedly passed by Congress and signed by President Bush on March 21, which transferred the case from state to federal courts, was unconstitutional because it violated the separation of powers.

The conflict over Schiavo's right to live began 15 years ago when a potassium imbalance induced by the eating disorder bulimia caused her to collapse. The imbalance cut off the oxygen supply to her brain and temporarily stopped her heart, putting Schiavo in a coma. In 1990, Schiavo received physical therapy, and attempts to rehabilitate her continued until 1994, when her husband Michael abandoned his belief that she could be rehabilitated.

During this time, her husband had also been awarded $300,000 out of a $1 million settlement from a malpractice suit against the doctor who had failed to diagnose Schiavo's bulimia. Following that decision, the Schindlers attempted to have Michael removed as their daughter's guardian but to no avail.

Then, in 2000, Circuit Court Judge George W. Greer approved Michael's request to have his wife's feeding tube removed, asserting that Schiavo's condition would not improve. However, the decision was nullified when Florida Governor Jeb Bush signed a law granting him the power to intervene and have Schiavo's feeding tube reinserted. The law was found unconstitutional by the Florida Supreme Court.

The final decision to remove Schiavo's feeding tube came on Feb. 25, when Greer set the removal of Schiavo's feeding tube to take place at 1 p.m. on March 18. Her death followed 13 days later despite multiple attempts by the executive and legislative branches at both the state and federal level to keep her alive.